1. Field
The present systems, methods, and apparatus generally relate to the realization of superconducting circuits on multilayer superconducting printed circuit boards.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since they were first introduced around the time of World War II, conventional printed circuit boards (“PCBs”) have simultaneously reduced in size and grown in sophistication. An important step in this evolution was the introduction of conductive vias to provide electrical communication between separate layers of a PCB. In non-superconducting applications, multilayer PCBs (i.e., PCBs with two or more layers of conductive traces) have been used for decades. However, a number of challenges that are inherent in non-superconducting electronics (e.g., power consumption and heat dissipation) continue to influence each stage of development of these devices and, ultimately, may limit the capabilities of non-superconducting PCB technology.
Superconducting technology can offer many advantages over conventional, non-superconducting electronics. Superconductors operate in a regime of little to no electrical resistance, and therefore do not generate heat to the same extent as conventional non-superconducting devices. Furthermore, superconducting devices are capable of achieving very high operational speeds. Many of the challenges that continue to plague conventional non-superconducting electronics technology may be overcome or circumvented by a conversion to superconducting technology. However, the sophistication of superconducting circuits to date has been limited to simple single- or double-layer PCBs.